Getting a dog as a puppy isn't a guarantee that it will get along with cats. The thing about puppies is that they like to play. If the puppy isn't getting enough play time and discipline from its family, it will seek out the cat as a playmate instead. Many cats, quite understandably, will retreat when confronted with a large boorish puppy. The puppy gives chase, because that's what bored puppies do. Eventually this ritual escalates and hardens into hunting behavior that can become nearly impossible to retrain.
Help me choose a dog
We are moving into a house with a large yard, and I would like to get a dog.
Looking for the following traits:
Size dog: Medium - large
Yard: Large
Exercise: I am willing to do 1x 45 min walk a day
Grooming: Willing to groom 1x a week
Kid and cat-friendly
I work from home a lot, but dog must be okay to be home alone for 8 hours 1-2 times a week. Don't want a dog who barks excessively or needs excessive attention (while I am at home, I do need to get some work done!). Lying at my feet while I am working on the computer is fine. The dog will sleep inside with us. We also like to travel, so the dog must be okay staying with a pet-sitter for a week or two per year.
Would prefer to adopt a puppy, so that he can be trained to be okay with the cat.
Please help me choose!
Looking for the following traits:
Size dog: Medium - large
Yard: Large
Exercise: I am willing to do 1x 45 min walk a day
Grooming: Willing to groom 1x a week
Kid and cat-friendly
I work from home a lot, but dog must be okay to be home alone for 8 hours 1-2 times a week. Don't want a dog who barks excessively or needs excessive attention (while I am at home, I do need to get some work done!). Lying at my feet while I am working on the computer is fine. The dog will sleep inside with us. We also like to travel, so the dog must be okay staying with a pet-sitter for a week or two per year.
Would prefer to adopt a puppy, so that he can be trained to be okay with the cat.
Please help me choose!
1 - 2 of 7 Posts
One of my childhood dogs was a Bassett Hound. He had a phlegmatic temperament and put up with what, in retrospect, was an unconscionable amount of mishandling from the feral children of my family. He wasn't particularly interested in being trained, but we weren't organized enough to train him either, so dog and humans were all on the same wavelength as far as that topic went. The big issue with him as far as being a family pet is that he had a tendency to follow his nose. He was pretty much dead to any other input when he got onto a trail with an interesting scent. I know back issues are supposed to be a problem with the breed, but our guy never had issues that way. He was just a big, goofy, even tempered dog.
1 - 2 of 7 Posts
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